Opening switches are components of electrical systems designed to open a circuit as is functionally desired. One common type of opening switch is a plasma opening switch (POS). In general, opening switches start out closed, shorting a transmission line carrying power from a power source, such as a homopolar generator. The opening switch causes energy to be stored in the circuit, such as inductively or capacitively, at a higher energy density than in the power source. After a certain time, depending on the parameters of the particular opening switch, resistance increases sharply (the switch opens), allowing the stored energy to flow to a load as a pulse of energy. By releasing the stored energy over a very short interval (a process that is called pulse compression), a huge amount of peak power can be delivered to a load. As such, the use of an opening switch between a generator and a load results in improving the rise-time of the load voltage and current, and in voltage and power multiplication.
Opening switches have many different pulsed power applications. For example opening switches can be used in light ion beam inertial confinement fusion experiments, electron beam diodes, Z-pinches, radiation generators, and other pulsed power devices.
However, many known types of opening switches have various practical or functional issues. By way of example, in radiation simulation systems plasma opening switches are generally large arrays of devices that require expensive and complex plasma generators.